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Readers: Should Mass. and Cass be declared a public health and safety emergency?
Boston City Council is set to consider Councilor Ed Flynn's resolution Wednesday.
For years, residents in the South End neighborhood of Boston and surrounding areas have raised alarms about the worsening conditions around the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard.
Addressing conditions at Mass. and Cass have regained traction in recent months, prompting a push for action from Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn.
Residents have been pleading with city officials for action, expressing frustration over the growing presence of homelessness, drug addiction, and crime in the area. Many report feeling unsafe, while others argue that those struggling with addiction and homelessness are being neglected by the city’s social services.
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In response to the crisis, Flynn (who represents District 2, which includes the South End) filed a resolution to declare the Mass. and Cass area a public health, safety, and humanitarian crisis. Flynn argues that the situation has reached a breaking point where immediate, aggressive action is necessary to prevent further deterioration.
“As well-intentioned as some of the City’s efforts have been, it is wholly appropriate to finally acknowledge that the City of Boston’s current plan at Mass & Cass has been an abject failure by any standard,” he wrote in the resolution, filed on July 31.
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Boston City Council is set to consider the resolution on Wednesday, according to The Boston Globe.
Flynn’s position is firm. He advocates for “zero tolerance when it comes to making arrests for public drug use, human trafficking, crime and assaults,” as well as shifting toward a public health policy that is “treatment-first.” Lastly, he urged the Council to make a recovery campus a top priority.
The 2014 closure of the Long Island Bridge by then-Mayor Marty Walsh resulted in the shutdown of a recovery campus on the island, where people experiencing substance abuse or homelessness were treated and sheltered for many decades.
As Boston faces this ongoing challenge, we want to know: Should Boston declare a public health and safety emergency at Mass. and Cass? Share with us in the form below or e-mail us at [email protected].
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